Understanding Risk: Contributions from the Journal of Risk and Governance

During recent years, news headlines have been rife with criticisms of the risk management practices of public and private sector entities. These criticisms have often been accompanied by calls for greater transparency in the way government entities manage risks and communicate dangers to the public. Similarly, in the private sector, the internationalisation of economic activity has heightened concerns over the potential adverse implications of mismanagement and financial scandals, and has led to calls for greater regulation and supervision. While the responses of public sector agencies and private sector actors to these challenges have differed, they share a common acknowledgement that effective governance relies on the pro-active identification, assessment, and management of risks as well as appropriate regulatory frameworks.

This edited book covers a number of divergent topics illustrating the emergence of several novel themes in the area of economic and social risks. As a communality, these novel themes relate to the complexity in which human activity in this late stage of capitalist development is embedded. This risk-generating complexity, in turn, can be observed at several levels, including workplace hazards, governance problems within the private sector or the intersection between public and private, and in relation to the economic risks faced by larger entities such as national governments.

The usefulness and appropriateness of a federalist perspective as a theoretical construct for the study of government and civics at the secondary level

This dissertation is the formulation of an argument for the incorporation of a liberated federalism perspective as the foundational theoretical construct for the teaching and study of American government and civics at the secondary level. The argument asserts that the history of the nation, in terms of its basic view of government, has developed from a traditional federalist view to a natural rights view. Instruction of government and politics has paralleled that development. The argument further asserts that the current dependence on the natural rights perspective has contributed and helped legitimize, however unintentionally, the excessive levels of individualism, self-absorption, and uncivil behavior that is being experienced in our society today.^ The argumentation follows the dialectic form presented by Hegel of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. That is, the thesis argues that the traditional federalist perspective would serve as a viable construct for the teaching of government and civics. In this portion of the argument, the republican model of political reality is presented. The antithesis promotes the natural rights perspective and relies on the political systems model for its theoretical approach. Finally, the synthesis argues that a liberated federalism perspective should be the foundational construct. Here, the argument presents its own model as a theoretical construct that is designed to assist teachers and curriculum materials writers in the development of American government and civics lessons and materials. ^

Influence of planning and governance on the level of urban services

A theoretical framework to analyse the interaction of planning and governance on the extent of outgrowth and level of services is proposed. An indicator framework for quantifying sprawl is also proposed and the same is operationalised for Bangalore. The indicators comprise spatial metrics (derived from temporal satellite remote sensing data) and other metrics obtained from a house-hold survey. The interaction of different indicators with respect to the core city and the outgrowth is determined by multi-dimensional scaling. The analysis reveals the underlying similarities (and dissimilarities) that relate with the different governance structures that prevail here. The paper concludes outlining the challenges in addressing urban sprawl while ensuring adequate level of services that planning and governance have to ensure towards achieving sustainable urbanisation.

GAS-PHASE REACTIONS OF C-60 WITH THE ION SYSTEMS OF CYCLOHEXANE AND CYCLOHEXENE

The DCI MS of C-60 with the reactions of gaseous cyclohexane and cyclohexene have been studied. Several kinds reactions of C-60 have been observed. The results show that the gasphase C-60 has very active chemical properties. The adduct ions of [C60C4H7](+) and [C60C5H7](+) may be formed by [2+4] cycloaddition where one of double bonds of C-60 acted as a dienophilic unit.

Dynamic mechanical analysis of polymeric systems of pharmaceutical and biomedical significance

Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is an analytical technique in which an oscillating stress is applied to a sample and the resultant strain measured as functions of both oscillatory frequency and temperature. From this, a comprehensive knowledge of the relationships between the various viscoelastic parameters, e.g. storage and loss moduli, mechanical damping parameter (tan delta), dynamic viscosity, and temperature may be obtained. An introduction to the theory of DMA and pharmaceutical and biomedical examples of the use of this technique are presented in this concise review. In particular, examples are described in which DMA has been employed to quantify the storage and loss moduli of polymers, polymer damping properties, glass transition temperature(s), rate and extent of curing of polymer systems, polymer-polymer compatibility and identification of sol-gel transitions. Furthermore, future applications of the technique for the optimisation of the formulation of pharmaceutical and biomedical systems are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Understanding Risk: Recent Contributions from the Journal of Risk and Governance

Following on from the format of the previous Book Understanding Risk: Contributions from the Journal of Risk and Governance, this collection of recent contributions (including work by the editor) this book is divided in three sections .  The first section examines issues relating to corporate governance in the private sector, with emphasis being placed on issues of 'Board Decision Making,' Earnings Management and Audit Committee Effectiveness'  and ' Corporate Governance Failures.'  These contributions are complemented by the second sections which looks at governance and risk issues affecting the public sector, with a focus being places on 'Public Private Partnerships' and regulation of activities in the Life Sciences.'  Section three focuses on societal risk management in relation to health, safety and the environment.  In this context, contributions are presented in relation to major debates surrounding 'Rising Trends in Cancer Cases,' dilemmas surrounding 'Medical Self Help,' 'Mental Health Policy' and the use of 'Information Technology in Health Care.'

Technologies of Knowledge and Governance on the Front Lines of Emergency Services.

Using institutional ethnography, a sociology and critical method of inquiry used primarily in North America, this presentation discusses new forms and technologies of knowledge and governance – “forms of language, technologies of representation and communication, and text-based, objectified modes of knowledge through which local particularities are interpreted or rendered actionable in abstract, translocal terms” (McCoy, 2008: 701) on the front line of emergency medical services. I focus specifically on technologies central to health reforms that attempt to reshape how health care is delivered, experienced, and made accountable (Anantharaman, 2004; Ball, 2005; Alberta Health Services, 2008). In additional to exemplifying how institutional ethnography can be used to answer Rankin and Campbell’s (2006) call for additional research into “the social organization of information in health care and attention to the (often unintended) ways ‘such textual products may accomplish…ruling purposes but otherwise fail people and, moreover, obscure that failure’ (p. 182)” (cited in McCoy, 2008: 709), this presentation will introduce the audience to a critical approach to social inquiry that explores how knowledge is socially organized.

Investigations on the structural and operational changes of Ring Seine Fishing Systems of Kerala and its Life Cycle Assessment (lCA)

The study covers theFishing capture technology innovation includes the catching of aquatic animal, using any kind of gear techniques, operated from a vessel. Utilization of fishing techniques varies, depending upon the type of fisheries, and can go from a basic and little hook connected to a line to huge and complex mid water trawls or seines operated by large fishing vessels.The size and autonomy of a fishing vessel is largely determined by its ability to handle, process and store fish in good condition on board, and thus these two characteristics have been greatly influenced by the introduction and utilization of ice and refrigeration machinery. Other technological developments especially hydraulic hauling machinery, fish finding electronics and synthetic twines have also had a major impact on the efficiency and profitability of fishing vessels.A wide variety of fishing gears and practices ranging from small-scale artisanal to advanced mechanised systems are used for fish capture in Kerala. Most important among these fishing gears are trawls, seines, lines, gillnets and entangling nets and traps The modern sector was introduced in 1953 at Neendakara, Shakthikulangara region under the initiative of Indo-Norwegian project (INP). The novel facilities introduced in fishing industry by Indo- Norwegian project accordingly are mechanically operated new boats with new fishing nets. Soon after mechanization, motorization programme gained momentum in Kerala especially in Alleppey, Ernakulam and Kollam districts.

Alkene-arene meta photocycloadditions with a four-carbon-atom tether: efficient approach toward the polycyclic ring systems of aphidicolin and stemodinone

At the end of its tether! The fusion of a six-membered ring onto the four-carbon-atom tether of substrate 1 provides an efficient approach toward the polycyclic ring systems of the natural products aphidicolin and stemodinone. The reaction represents a unique example of a preference for product formation from an endo exciplex in an intramolecular system (exo:endo 2:3=1.0:1.2).

UK construction orders and output: A comparison of government and commercially available data 1995-2001

Because of the importance and potential usefulness of construction market statistics to firms and government, consistency between different sources of data is examined with a view to building a predictive model of construction output using construction data alone. However, a comparison of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Office for National Statistics (ONS) series shows that the correlation coefcient (used as a measure of consistency) of the DTI output and DTI orders data and the correlation coefficient of the DTI output and ONS output data are low. It is not possible to derive a predictive model of DTI output based on DTI orders data alone. The question arises whether or not an alternative independent source of data may be used to predict DTI output data. Independent data produced by Emap Glenigan (EG), based on planning applications, potentially offers such a source of information. The EG data records the value of planning applications and their planned start and finish dates. However, as this data is ex ante and is not correlated with DTI output it is not possible to use this data to describe the volume of actual construction output. Nor is it possible to use the EG planning data to predict DTI construc-tion orders data. Further consideration of the issues raised reveal that it is not practically possible to develop a consistent predictive model of construction output using construction statistics gathered at different stages in the development process.